[Astonish]

Basically right now I have 650's and love the mids on them along with with the intimate forward vocals. Anything that beats them? Would love to hear your opinions for those who are into acoustic/indie

Female vocals a plus and genre versatility also a plus. Must have a sound signature where clear vocals are the forefront

Appreciate any suggestions

 

[Astonish]

Oh also would prefer a larger soundstage, but not sure how much that would take away from the sound I like on the 650 with the vocals being intimate and a bit forward

 

[HumbleMan]

I'm listening to American Football (2016 album) as well as Owen (The King of Whys) a lot lately, and find both lovely through my HD668B. Then again, I find everything great through them.

 

[soundofmed]

go for the HD700's they wont disappoint. They still have a really nice midrange as do all signature Senn's but what youll get with the HD700's is that they are very detailed and I found them amazing for female vocals and soundstage, plus theyre much more comfier than the HD650's...

And do yourself a favor if you can and try them out before you buy them, I used to listen to many peoples reviews and that they were flawed pair of headphones how most people said but that is definitely not the case, although, I do not own a pair but I did have extended listening sessions with them

And a step up from the 700's would be the 800's... btw what are you driving the 650's from?

 

[obobskivich]

What do you mean by "larger sound signature"?

Anyways, some ideas:

- Koss ESP/950. They do everything the Senns can do, but better. And aren't dark. And have tighter and better extended bass. And smoother treble.
- Sony MDR-F1. Probably the most ethereal, effortless, and natural sounding mids (strings, vocals, etc) I've heard from a dynamic can - bass is lacking (super-duper open design is probably to blame), and the top-end is politely rolled off (so they aren't bright and etched like many "fast and lean" headphones), which aligns nicely next to the Senns.
- Audio-Technica ATH-W1000X. Very engaging mids, happy "v-curve" sound signature, warm overall sound, great detail and sense of space, but also somewhat colored in the lower-mid treble (like 3-5k) which may upset some.
- JVC HP-DX1000. Super-duper romantic mids (and overall tonal coloration), very warm, wet, and organic sounding. Can be absolutely heavenly with the right content, but they're also relatively bassy and don't play so nice with bass-blast music (they're not the fastest headphone in the world, so boom-boom shake the room music turns into boom-boom shake the room playback; garbage in, garbage out).

Overall the 950s are probably the "safest" choice if you like the Senns, and just want something "better." The ATs are probably the next "safest" choice because while they do get into "romantic, syrupy hi-fi sound" they aren't pushed to as much of an extreme as some headphones (like the DX1k). The Sonys, if you can find them, are very detailed and engaging through the mid-range, but they have an overall n-shaped sound signature, and may not be (depending on your taste in bass) a complete replacement option.

 

[xDaveyJ]

Better than a HD650 for vocals? None.

Other options you may like.

ZMF Atticus for a slightly lush romantic colouration.

HD600 for more boosted upper mids. Can sound shouty but some prefer that

AT W3000AV for a kind of weird lush colouration. Atticus does it better IMO but it's another option.


It's hard to beat a HD650 for natural tone to the mids. Apart from some grain there's something about the timbre. Pair them with good OTL like the Elise and you've got a great allrounder with amazing vocals.